Dark to Dawn
by Allexis Writes
Summary: Anslee Wayne returns to Gotham after she left five years ago following The Joker's reign of chaos. Hoping to find Bruce has found himself, she finds he spent those five years brooding. She also finds a familiar cop has requested the return of The Batman. With a new threat to Gotham that goes by the name Bane, Anslee must face the hardest obstacle of her life; saving her true home.
1. Welcome Home

**I'm like hey wassup hello. YES. We are back with a sequel to my book To This Day.**

**A LITTLE LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK, THIS IS A SEQUEL. SO THIS STORY MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ "TO THIS DAY".**

**Now that we have that out of the way, we are back. And if you didn't read the author's note at the end of To This Day, I will be updating this story on Thursdays because I have one class that day and I get done by 12:30, so that give me enough time to take care of homework and also allots me about a week to write new chapters. But also, just like how I altered the timeline in my previous story, I'm doing it again! The only thing I've changed as of now is that the events of Dark Knight Rises takes place five years after Dark Knight instead of I think it was eight years? But that's all I can really think of, if y'all have questions or you see that I have the wrong name in this chapter (Tori, because like I said, this was originally supposed to be a completely different story with a completely different OC, but I decided to edit it for this sequel) PLEASE let me know so I can fix it ASAP.**

**You know how it goes by now! Read, Review, Like, Favorite, Enjoy!**

**This chapter was edited for grammar, typos, and plot/timeline issues as of 7/19/2020**

**XXX**

As she stepped into the terminal of Gotham National Airport, the somber atmosphere that constantly resided in Gotham City hit Anslee Wayne like a brick. Despite living in the City for twenty-two years before she left, she still couldn't get used to the same feeling that hung over the city like a blanket. But, the realization that not much had changed in the city was a good one, one that welcomed her back home after she'd been gone for a year.

Why had she left? The fallback of Harvey Dent's death was put on the shoulders of her father, The Batman, better known to the public as Bruce Wayne. Then again, he had put the blame on himself, feeling guilt wash over him after he was unable to save Rachel Dawes, Anslee's mother, in the explosions that the Joker had set up. Those were dark times then, worse than when Jonathan Crane and Ras' had attempted their reign of terror over the city, in her opinion. After seeing her father in such a state of grief and watching him tear himself apart, she had to leave him for a bit, get out of the city. But getting that far still didn't work, so she left the city. That bit of needing to distance herself had turned to five years years in the end.

Anslee spent four years at Metropolis University studying Criminal Justice and Criminology with a double minor in Forensic Psychology and of course her one true love, Dance. She went to college, unbeknownst to Bruce, hoping maybe that getting away from Gotham would get her mind off of what she left behind. But that had quickly proven incapable of working. There wasn't a day that went by over those four years where Anslee didn't think about Bruce...her mom..Harvey...everything.

So one day while scrolling through job listings, she came across an interesting one that she thought would be perfect for getting away from her past and getting her father off her mind. Alvin Ailey's Traveling Dance Company. The job description required a very specific set of requirements for dance and a guarantee that they would be traveling out of the country. Perfect. She applied, did the required online audition, and got an email three days later that she was accepted and was to start immediately. Anslee didn't hesitate to hop on a plane to Los Angeles so she could start. Over the year she spent with Ailey's, she traveled all over the world. From Europe to Australia and so many different places. That seemed to do the trick, but her father and the city still, unfortunately, lingered in the back of her mind.

Anslee lugged her carry on behind her as she exited the terminal, the carry on being her only piece of luggage since she had either outgrown clothes over the years or simply left whatever she didn't need back with Ailey's. She stepped outside, the cold air of the night blew her long dark brunette hair behind her as she walked against the current. She had flagged down a cab once she exited the airport terminal, keeping a low profile even though everyone may not have recognized her after she'd been gone for so many years or honestly really cared at all. She was just too paranoid after tabloids and the paparazzi had stalked her for weeks after she had survived The Joker. After flagging down a cab, she slipped her carry on in the backseat and asked the man to go to Wayne Manor.

The car ride had been short and sweet, the driver minding his own business, though he was curious as to why this young woman was heading to Wayne Manor, but he figured to mind his own business and not ask why. As he pulled up to the familiar estates, Ans couldn't help but let a small smile grace her face as her green eyes lit up at the sight of the estates after being absent for five years. The driver had parked at the top of the arched driveway, closest to the door. Ans had paid for her ride and took her carry on with her, dragging it up the stairs that led to the large oak doors that concealed the home within itself. She took a deep breath before she lifted her hand and knocked on the door three times. She knew it would be a few seconds before she would get an answer, wherever Alfred had been in the manor, he always tried to get to the door as fast as he could with his age. Anslee also knew that because of the hour of the night the man would just now be settling down, enjoying a nightly cup of tea before he settled for the night. Granted it had been five years since she'd last been around the man, old habits never die.

She had almost given up hope of someone being awake before she heard the lock on the door click and the old brass doorknob turn. Upon the door opening, the girl put a smile on her face at the scent of the manor hitting her nostrils. It was a pleasant smell that took her back to before she left. But the one thing that made the smile genuine was the old man standing in the door, the look of disbelief in his eyes as he stared back at the twenty-three year old was something she'd never seen before.

"I know it's been five years, but surely you haven't forgotten me, Alfred," Anslee spoke, a hint of sarcasm laced in her tone as she chuckled.

"How could I forget you, Miss Wayne?" Alfred asked, his voice sounding choked and Ans could've sworn she saw tears in his eyes.

The girl breathed out a laugh before she reached out and hugged the man, him returning the embrace, holding onto the girl who had been like one of his own children as if she were going to be leaving again.

"Why didn't you call and give some sort of word you would be returning?" he asked her, pulling away and looking into her eyes as if to make sure she was real, keeping his hands placed on her shoulders.

"I know how much you love surprises," She joked with a smile.

"I know how much you don't," Alfred had rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Let's get you inside, it's been very cold the past few nights," he gestured for her to come inside. Anslee grabbed a hold of her carry on handle and brought it inside along with her.

"Place hasn't changed a bit since I left," she smiled looking at the familiar place she'd distanced herself from, "Dad never was too keen on redecorating, or any decorating for that matter."

Alfred chuckled, "Indeed, your room is exactly how you left it by the way, I was actually about to head into the kitchen for a cup of tea before I went to bed, you're more than welcome to join me."

Ans nodded, "Yeah, just let me head upstairs really quick to put my stuff down and change."

"Very well," The man bid her a temporary goodbye as she headed up the large master staircase, following the path to her room. The picture of how it was before she left burned in her mind. Anslee had made her way to her room and stood outside the door, taking another deep breath before turning the doorknob and pushing it open. She was met with relief when she saw it was exactly the way she'd left it. Things were still packed away in boxes. More like they remained unpacked after Anslee permanently moved in with Bruce after Rachel's death and Harvey's downfall. Even if it had been two months she permanently lived there, she never had the heart to unpack her stuff.

Ans came into the room, leaving her carry on by the door as she walked towards her dresser she'd left nearly full before leaving. After discarding her traveling clothes, she slipped on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, pulling her hair into a low ponytail before looking at her bed. She was very tired from the day having been incredibly long, but she had told Alfred she'd be back down there. Besides, she wanted to get just a little information about what was going on in the city nowadays.

Ans had made the trek back downstairs towards the kitchen, the smell of an herbal tea Alfred had sworn upon wafted in the air as the man brewed it the traditional way in a kettle. The girl snickered to herself before pushing the door to the kitchen open and strolling in, taking a seat on one of the bar stools and leaned over the island as Alfred turned, two mugs in his hand. He set one in front of her and looked at her gaze at the cup. He knew she had one burning question in her mind, but he also knew she wouldn't dare ask it firsthand.

"He's been brooding more than usual," Alfred spoke as he looked down at his cup before taking a sip.

"Is there such thing as more than usual? He was pretty annoyingly brooding before I left," She spoke in a solemn tone as she looked up at him, "Did something else happen?"

"Besides his physical health slowly deteriorating from wear and tear, Commissioner Gordon was found in a sewer drain a few days ago, had been shot and whoever had done it did quite a number on him beforehand. He's been in the hospital ever since. Your father had actually taken the liberty of visiting him the incognito way," Alfred explained.

"That can't be why he's like that though… could it? The only things that I've seen him really get set off like that about were Harvey and...my mom," she shook her head, wrapping her hand around the mug and bringing it to her lips.

"An officer came by the manor right after. He somehow knew your father's secret and confronted him about Batman and how the city needs him back because of recent events," the old man replied.

"Recent events being Gordon along with what's been going on in those sewer tunnels. I'm assuming Gordon wasn't the first person they've pulled out of those sewer drains leading from the tunnels under the city," Anslee raised an eyebrow, "I also didn't get a name on that officer."

"Yes, you are right about the tunnels, I'd say they pull two to three people out of there a week by now. And I didn't mention a name because I know exactly what you'll do. You are your father's daughter. You'll find him and confront him because you and I both know that someone telling your father to go back out and put his life on the line is the last thing you want someone to be doing, GCPD cop or not" he scowled, giving her a knowing look before taking another sip of his drink.

The girl sighed in return, taking a long drink of the herbal essence, finishing off the cup after a few seconds. She set it back down on the counter and kept her gaze on it, "I came back to a real shitshow, huh Alfred?" She smirked.

The man answered by taking her cup and setting it in the sink along with his own. He walked around the island and placed a kiss on her head, "It's good to have you home, Miss Anslee. Your father will be more than glad to see you," he spoke before turning towards the door. It took a few strides to get to the swinging door before he stopped and turned to look at her one last time. He looked at the brunette for a few silent seconds before caving, "Blake. The officer's name was Blake."

Anslee kept her gaze at the counter when she heard the door swing open and the man walk away. She sat at the island for a few more minutes, processing everything before she was able to get up and head back upstairs to her room. She thought perhaps after five years the city would have had a chance to settle and really heal after the Joker, but it seems Gotham was just getting into another fit of trouble that wouldn't be easily avoided or solved.

Upon entering she'd managed to lay her carry on on it's side and unzipped it. Ans pulled her laptop out and took a seat on her bed. She set the device in her lap as she leaned against her back against the headboard of the bed. After the process of logging in, she opened a program that hadn't been touched since her interning days at a small precinct in Metropolis. While the program mainly centered around storing data and files on criminals and law enforcement officials from Metropolis, Anslee had been able to hack the systems and plug herself into the GCPD database as well. She mostly used it to spy on criminals she had previously heard of to see where they ended up. After a good ten minutes of searching the program, she had centered the identity of the man. Robin John Blake, a GCPD officer who lived about ten minutes from the manor. The name sounded incredibly familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint where she had heard it before.

Anslee smirked to herself before hitting print and shutting her laptop lid. The printer sitting on her desk from across the room buzzed to life as she glanced at the time on her clock reading two AM. She sighed before peeling back the comforter and crawling into bed, passing out as soon as her head made contact with the pillow.


	2. So Little Time

**This chapter has been edited for grammar, typos, and plot/timeline issues as of 7/20/2020**

**XXX**

Anslee's body stirred at a bright and early 8 AM. She mentally groaned and scowled herself for being awake so early because of the timezone change. She sat up and looked around at the familiar setting of her room, the place still seeming so vague to her. The twenty-three year old pursed her lips and dragged herself out of bed.

After quickly taking a shower, she slipped into a pair of dark wash jeans and a burgundy colored sweater since the air was likely still a bit chilly outside. After drying her hair with a towel, knowing it would dry to its usual wavy style, she left her room and headed down the stairs where the smell of coffee flowed through the air. She had known Alfred would be down there since he was usually up in the mornings anyways.

As she entered she was met by the old man, who turned to look at her with an amused smile on his lips, "Jet lag, Miss Wayne?" He asked as he pulled a mug out of one of the cabinets and filled it with coffee, "You never were a morning person."

"Yeah you'd think after traveling a year around the world I'd be immune to jet lag," She sighed in return as she took her seat at the same bar stool from the night before. Alfred turned to her after stirring the contents of the cup with a spoon and setting the mug in front of her.

"Traveling the world, hm?" Alfred raised an eyebrow, "You still haven't mentioned where you've been for five years."

Anslee smiled back at the old man, it was only fair she tell him where she disappeared off to, "I went to Met U and got my bachelors in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a minor in Forensic Psychology and in Dance. And then I job hunted and found the perfect thing to get myself out of the 'Gotham State of Mind' since Metropolis didn't do it for me. I traveled with Alvin Ailey's Dance Company all over the world, almost a new country or city everyday, all while taking classes online to work towards my masters degree."

Alfred smiled, he was relieved to hear that Anslee really had used her strong ambition to really make something of herself, "Criminal Justice and Criminology?"

"Yeah," Anslee took a sip of her coffee, "It just really peaked my interest I guess. Maybe it was just the Gotham in me, this city has too many twisted cops. It needs a few who won't quake and switch sides the moment the mob holds a gun to their heads," she shrugged.

The two sat in silence again while Alfred finished fixing up the last bit of breakfast and Anslee drank her first cup of coffee for the day.

"He's down in the cave, if you're wondering, been a few hours since he's been up," he spoke, breaking the silence as she took a drink of her beverage.

"And he's down there again, why?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"His fingerprints were stolen by a woman posing to be a server during the Wayne Foundation event celebrating Harvey Dent, he isn't quite sure what for," he confirmed as he took a sip of his own drink.

"I think it's time to pay a little visit to my old man, Alfred" she snickered as she stood up with her mug in her hand.

"He'll be very pleased to see you've returned after all these years," Alfred smiled.

"Likewise," she smirked, "You'll come with me, won't you?" she asked with a smile.

"Of course, Miss Wayne," He smiled back at her before following her out of the kitchen and towards her grandfather's old office.

Upon entering the office, the old grand piano still stood in the same place it had been before she had left, for that matter, nothing had changed. Ans walked up to the old piano and lightly ran her hand over the keys with a smile before speaking, "Forgive me if I'm rusty," she smirked before hitting the three sets of sharp harmonies quickly, revealing a sliding bookcase that led to an old elevator like one you would see in an old school coal mine.

"Old habits never die," Alfred chuckled in return as he followed her into the contraption.

"Yeah, my dad's living proof of that," she smirked before hitting the button to close the door and then pulling the lever that released it to descend down into the Batcave.

After the thirty second ride down to the cave, the elevator stopped and the door proceeded open. There stood none other than Bruce Wayne. Along with the manor, nothing had changed about him. He was exactly the way she'd left him five years ago. The man was turned around, looking at a computer screen, a criminal file from what she could tell, was pulled up. Alfred had led her out and was the first to speak knowing she'd be at a loss for words.

"Master Wayne, you've a visitor I think you'd be more than happy to see," He spoke with the slightest of ease.

Bruce was quick to turn around, his eyes almost lighting up immediately upon seeing who had walked off of that elevator. He had limped from his position at the computer and approached his child, a smile on his face, "Anslee? God never thought I'd be seeing you again after that day you left...How long's it been? Five years?" He asked her.

"Five years too many," she smiled in return before the man pulled her into a hug. The girl returned the embrace and held onto her father, digging her face into his shoulder as tears formed in her eyes. Bruce buried his face in her hair, even letting a few tears brim his eyes, bit he would never let them fall. This was a feeling neither had thought they'd ever be experiencing again at all again. Especially because of the sour note that they'd departed on. It was an ugly goodbye, if you could even call it that. Bruce was taken back, not only was he hugging his child whom he hadn't seen in years, but he was holding onto the last thing that he left of Rachel. Nothing could compare to that hurt he felt when he thought about her.

"Where have you been?" he pulled away and looked her up and down, studying every feature on her face to make sure that this was real and that his daughter was in fact standing in front of him.

"I spent four years right under your nose at Met U, but it just wasn't quite what I was looking for, so I headed to Alvin Ailey's and performed with them all over the world. The last leg of the tour was in Italy...and then I decided it was time for me to come home," She spoke, wiping her eyes in the process.

"And what was it you were looking for?" he asked her.

"You know, I'm still not quite sure I could put it into words to describe it if I wanted to," She spoke in return. Bruce looked into her eyes once more.

"You never even told me anything about college...I was wondering where you had gone after you left that day."

"I know you have the software to find me," Anslee narrowed her eyes up at him.

Bruce smirked, "I don't think you wanted to be found is the thing."

"But I still know that you looked, don't forget that I know you better than you think I do, dad."

"Either way, it's great to have you back home, it really is. I missed having you around more and more as time built up," he spoke before turning to head back to the computer. Ans followed him and gazed up at the screens that were lit up, all showing different faces except for one, which only showed a name and a few lines of information.

"Who are they?" she asked, looking from her father and back to the screens.

Bruce looked up at the screens, he pointed to one on the far left, a brown haired petite woman with a mugshot was shown, "Selina Kyle, stole my fingerprints off of the safe I kept your grandmother's pearls in. I'm not sure what for, but that's what I'm in the process of investigating. She also took...the pearls." He explained with a sigh.

"That doesn't seem to be the only thing you're investigating," Anslee crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes lingering to another profile that was pulled up on a separate screen.

"That other woman," he paused, "Miranda Tate, she's been trying to talk to me about this investment she's made into a clean energy project, but I'm not sure I'm completely on board with the whole idea. I haven't got much information about what exactly she's trying to do. And that last one without a picture, file of a new criminal. He goes by the name Bane, and I don't have much info on him either. Alfred did gather that he's a mercenary, working with John Daggett on underground construction, but I don't know what for."

All while he talked, Bruce was fidgeting with a device that Anslee had never seen before. As he finished his sentence, he sat down in a chair and strapped the device to his knee.

"And what are you doing?" Anslee asked.

"Just watch," Bruce spoke, clicking a button on the brace, making it clasp around his leg tightly. He then proceeded to get up, bending and stretching the knee. Alfred and Ans exchanged a glance before looking back at Bruce.

"You've got the wrong leg sure," Alfred spoke, gesturing to the fact that Bruce had the brace on his good knee.

Bruce nodded, "You start with the good limb so it learns your optimum muscle patterns," he looked back at the two before sitting down again and swapping the brace to his bad knee. He stood again, putting weight on it, bending it a bit. He sat again and sighed, "Now we tighten it up."

Bruce grit his teeth as he pushed the button to tighten the high-tech brace. The brace dug into his calve, making the man let out a pained groan.

"Is it terribly painful, Master Wayne?" Alfred smirked over at Bruce.

"You're welcome to try it, Alfred," Bruce looked back at the man.

"Happy watching, thank you sir," Alfred chuckled.

"You aren't seriously considering going back out there are you?" Anslee asked her father in a serious tone, "I witnessed you word for word tell Gordon that he and his officers could hunt and condemn you. The entire city believes that you killed Harvey Dent and that you are some terrible being. Gotham is not on your side and they won't take warmly to your return."

Bruce got up from the chair and lunged on his left side a few times to stretch it out. He then proceeded to take a few steps from the computers, "Not bad," he commented with a small smile, obviously ignoring Anslee's statement. He then proceeded to turn and perfectly roundhouse kick the brick wall archway that led to the elevator, shattering a brick off of it, "Not bad at all," he smiled a bit wider.

"You're ignoring me," The girl groaned. Bruce remained quiet and turned his back to her, as Alfred began to speak.

"Master Wayne, if you're seriously considering going back out there you need to hear some rumors surrounding Bane."

"Do you think he'll run into the meat head?" Anslee looked over at Alfred.

Bruce had hit a button that made the Batsuit hidden underground in its glass case rise and reveal itself, "I'm all ears."

"There is a prison. In a more ancient part of the world. A pit. Where men are thrown to suffer and die. But sometimes, a man rises from the darkness. Sometimes...the pit sends something back." Alfred explained.

"Bane," Anslee cut in, crossing her arms over her chest as she followed the two, listening in on the info.

"Born and raised in a hell on Earth," Alfred turned to her.

"Born in a prison?" Bruce looked back at the two as the case concealing the Batsuit opened.

"No one knows why. Or how he escaped. But they know who trained him when he did, Ras al Ghul. Your mentor," Alfred spoke in a more serious tone.

"Bane was a member of the League of Shadows…" Anslee spoke once more, the frown on her face growing in concern.

"Until he was excommunicated. And any man too extreme for Ras al Ghul is not to be trifled with," Alfred pointed in Bruce's direction as if he were a child being scolded for coloring on their walls with crayons.

"I didn't know I was known for trifling with criminals," Bruce spoke with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"That was then. And you can strap up your leg and put the mask back on. But that doesn't make you what you were," Ans spoke, scolding him as well.

"Which was?" he asked looking in between the two.

"Someone who's anger at death made him value all life. Even his own." Alfred put it in better words than Bruce's own daughter could.

The three stood in silence for a few seconds before Bruce spoke, "If this man is all the things you say he is, then this city needs me."

"You don't owe these people anything. They are against you. You may have put the blame on yourself for something you didn't do, but the people still couldn't find it in their hearts to forgive you after you rid of the threat to their home and their wellbeing twice!" Anslee chimed in, dropping her arms to her side, annoyedly.

"This city needs Bruce Wayne. Your resources, your knowledge...not your body. Not your life. That time has passed." Alfred added in.

"I tried helping as Bruce Wayne, Alfred. And I failed," Bruce frowned.

"You can fail as Bruce Wayne. But as Batman, you can't afford to any more," Anslee spoke as she took a few steps closer to Bruce, giving him a worried look as her tone dropped to a calmer one.

"That's what you're afraid of. That if I go back out there I'll fail." Bruce looked between the two.

"No. We're afraid that you want to." Alfred spoke, his tone more calm as well.

Bruce stayed silent before turning to look at the Batsuit. It was silent before Alfred turned away, Anslee soon following. The two made their way towards the elevator. Going up and riding in silence. When it hit the top, the two had stepped out and headed in the direction of the kitchen, Anslee to dispose of her empty coffee mug and Alfred to clean up from that morning.

"I think I'm going to go visit Jim in the hospital around 2, and pay our friend Robin Blake a little visit," Anslee spoke, washing her mug in the sink.

Alfred looked over at her, "Mister Gordon was going to give a speech at the Wayne Foundation event for Harvey Dent, if you would like to spark conversation, try and get something out of that, he backed out at the last second, told the patrons the time wasn't right. Also, It may be best to leave our police friend be, Miss Wayne" he spoke.

"I have a feeling I might know what that speech may have included," Anslee muttered, "And that may be so to you, but because of "our police friend" it triggered the "This city needs Batman again" thing with my dad and I'm not okay with that. He doesn't get to advocate for something he doesn't completely understand nor could he even begin to understand how it affects him and the people around him physically and emotionally, Alfred, it's not right," Anslee turned back to the butler.

"You may be correct when you say that your father owes the people of Gotham nothing, but you and I know he is too stubborn to back down from something once he's got his mind set on it. You're the exact same way, which is why I won't try and stop you from going and talking to that officer, all I can do is advise you it may not be a good idea or may not play out in your favor," Alfred spoke, he always had a way of making things that were like lectures seem more like wise words.

Anslee returned a sigh and leaned over the counter, arguing with herself on what to do, she merely wanted to give the man a piece of her mind for messing with her father. Granted, it did get him off his ass from brooding. She ran a hand through her still partially wet hair with a sigh, "I guess only time will tell, Alfred," she spoke before standing up and leaving the kitchen, so she could head towards her room to grab the paper with Robin Blake's address and to get ready a little more for her day. She wanted to at least get a better idea about where she was heading when it came to Blake's apartment.


	3. Jim Gordon

**AHHHHH FUCKKKK! OKAY look. I totally forgot that today was Thursday. This week has really been rough and I seriously haven't been able to keep track of what day it is. I had dance team auditions for my University this week and it has thrown me off so bad. I know I said I literally get out of class at 12:30 on Thursdays and that's why I picked this day to upload new chapters, but I had a TON of Italian homework to do and then A huge assignment for my Music In Context class (that I almost didn't get turned in on time haha), and then I also had to practice for my audition tonight. I literally completely forgot it was Thursday until 12:30 AM.**

**To Captaintjf-Happy Belated Birthday! I hope you had an amazing day! And thank you for your review, I really appreciate your review and I'm so so so glad you enjoy the story! I hope you enjoy this too!**

**I really don't know if people are looking forward/care about updates on Thursdays (And if you do then you're a real one and I love you a little extra). But I'm sorry I forgot and I will try my best to remember next week! Happy reading loves!**

**This story has been edited for grammar, typos, and timeline/plot issues as of 7/20/2020**

**XXX**

2 PM rolled around in what seemed like a half hour after she initially woke up that morning. Time had a weird way of passing in Gotham. Anslee headed out to the car garage. Ans walked down the row of cars, looking for one that had especially been her favorite. It wasn't exactly what you'd expect someone like Anslee to drive. The big black SUV that Bruce got her for her sixteenth birthday-even though she declined it in all her teenage bitterness since she was convinced Bruce was trying to buy her love- sat looking shiny and sleek. Ans wouldn't be surprised if Alfred had run it through the car wash a few times over the years to keep it looking nice. And there was no doubt that Bruce had driven it around a few times too. She smiled to herself when she saw the vehicle. After approaching the drivers side door, she opened it with ease. As she got into the seat that was surprisingly adjusted to her preference, she looked up at the visor to see the keys hanging from them with a purple "A" key chain, signalling they were hers. Upon putting the keys in the ignition, the car hummed beautifully and the gas gauge was at full.

"Thank you, Alfred," And smiled before she pressed the correct button to open the garage door that was in front of her car, "Gotham Regional, here I come," she spoke before pulling out of the garage and speeding out.

It had taken her only twenty minutes to get to the hospital and find a decent parking spot. Traffic on the southeast side was usually pretty busy during that time of the morning since people were on their way back to work from their lunch breaks around now. Anslee had left the paper containing Robin's address in her car, but kept her wrist-let wallet with her. Once entering the hospital, she approached the front desk. A nurse, who despite it being still early, looked happily up at Ans with a smile, "How can I help you today?"

"Hi, I'm here to visit James Gordon," Anslee replied with a smile in return. The woman nodded before opening a binder sitting on the ledge.

"Just sign in here and may I please have your name to put in the system?" The woman asked, handing Ans a pen.

"Yes of course, Anslee Wayne," she smiled before signing her name and who she was going to visit in the column next to it. When she looked back up to hand the nurse the pen, she saw the look in her eyes that said she had recognized the twenty year-three old by her last name, but didn't fret.

"Thank you Miss Wayne," She smiled, taking the pen, "He'll be up on the second floor, third door to your right."

"Thank you," Ans smiled before heading towards the stairs, figuring it wasn't a big deal because it was only one floor up.

The short trek up the stairs hadn't even taken her thirty seconds, And the search for the third door on her right was something a kindergartner could do. When she found the door, she hesitated before knocking three times like she had done on the previous night on the manor door. She waited a few seconds before she heard a grumbled, "Come in," before pushing the door open and giving a soft smile to the man in the hospital bed even though her heart shattered at the sight of him looking so broken.

The man looked at the door, a bright smile lit up his face as he saw who walked through, "Anslee Wayne? Is that really you?" he asked in disbelief.

"Hey, Jim," she smiled a little wider when she saw him smile.

"Come, come sit," he gestured to the chair that sat next to his bed. The girl nodded and took a few steps towards the chair, taking a seat and placing her wallet in her lap. Gordon reached down and took one of her hands in his, "I never thought I'd see your face again after Alfred told me you left without a trace."

"Yeah I've heard that a lot the last few hours," she chuckled in return as she looked at him.

"When did you get back?" he asked her.

"Last night. Sorry I wasn't here sooner, Alfred told me what happened last night and I had a nice little conversation with my dad after I saw him or the first time in five years this morning," She smirked.

Jim shook his head, "Don't worry about it, sweetheart, I haven't been too up for company the last few days anyways,"

She frowned, "Oh? I mean I can leave if you want me to and come visit another time you'd like," she spoke.

"No, your company is always welcome, you can talk to me without giving me some sort of news that will ruin my day," he chuckled in return as he looked into her brilliant green eyes. He remembered those eyes from when she was young and Bruce had left Gotham for those seven missing years. He guessed Waynes had a thing for disappearing for indefinite amounts of time. He remembered seeing her every so often when he'd see Rachel for work, he'd practically watched the girl grow up.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Kinda like I was shot and thrown into a tunnel of water," he chuckled lightly, " But I'm hanging in there," he sighed, "So Alfred gave you the rundown?"

"Gave me what he knew," she shrugged, wondering if she should bring up Officer Blake so she could get some background on the man, but decided to leave it out, "Although he did tell me about the speech you were gonna give at the Wayne Foundation event on Harvey Dent Day, you wanna tell me about that?" she asked with a soft tone, keeping her voice laid back.

Jim sighed again, looking as if he were thinking about something deeply, "Anslee, you know that night at the warehouse ruins still haunts me in my nightmares even after all this time. We built a holiday celebrating the man who tried to murder my family because of the lie this city is building off of. And it eats at me everyday, it has for the past five years. I'm sure it still hasn't been easy for you to process either considering you were pretty close to Harvey when all of this went down. I thought maybe at the Gala it was time to come clean and make the announcement, but I couldn't bring myself to de-idolize Harvey like that after so many years of his legacy being celebrated. I decided that sometimes there are things that are kept in the dark for a long time. And there are reasons for that, no matter the repercussions and no matter who takes the fall. I'm not asking you to agree with me, but just understand where I'm coming from" He gave her hand a small squeeze and she gave him a soft nod.

"I know where you're coming from Jim, and honestly I would be terrified in your position. I won't sugarcoat it. I know you're probably scared, but I understand..and I agree," she smiled through her teeth in return, images of self-pitying and suffering Bruce Wayne flashed in her mind "Some things have a purpose for being kept in the dark for a while, and I know you'll reveal what needs to be said when the time is right. And I know you'll figure out when that right time is."

Jim looked at her with a soft smile, "You always had a way of understanding things even from when you were young."

"I've had some pretty good mentors throughout my life," she chuckled, "Any idea how much longer you'll be in here?"

"I took a nasty fall, well, more like a tumble, into the sewer lines, along with the gunshot in my leg, they say I haven't been doing too hot," he looked at her.

Anslee nodded and sighed, "It'll get better in time, like when I broke my foot when I was ten."

"I remember, you complained and complained how you couldn't do anything because you were so limited, plus you made sure everyone knew how much you hated walking on crutches too," Jim chuckled, "You sat in the DA's office and colored in your coloring books for hours while your mother worked."

"It's like that, it'll take time," She chuckled as well.

Ans had stayed for nearly four and a half hours just talking with the man, catching up on the years she was gone. Nothing much had gone on in the city, but Jim had listened to her talk about her time with Alvin Ailey's and things she'd experienced. He was interested to hear about her criminal justice studies at Metropolis University. He even joked about her being a part of his team at the GCPD.

Their conversation was cut short when a nurse had come in, saying it was time for Jim to take his meds that would eventually knock him out. Ans gave her a nod and turned back to Jim, bidding him goodbye, before he kissed her hand and bid her goodbye as well.

As she walked down the stairs to the first floor and towards the front door to the parking lot, Anslee gave the nurse from earlier a nod before walking out back to her car. She clicked the button on her key fob to unlock it and saw her head lights flash. She approached the SUV, looking up at the hospital one more time before getting in and putting the keys in the ignition. The keys were turned, making the engine hum to life. Ans sighed as she leaned back in her seat, eyeing the piece of paper that had Blake's address and other pieces of personal information.

"One more stop today," she muttered to herself as she reached over, taking the paper in her hands and looking at the address, glancing back and forth between the paper and the screen of her navigation system. Upon entering the address, she discovered he only lived ten minutes from the hospital. She glanced over the address again before pulling out of her parking spot and starting her journey to Robin Blake's apartment building.


	4. Opening Up

**Haha remember when I said I would try and remember to post a new chapter this week? Well I didn't and I obviously procrastinated all of my homework again. I had a bunch of stuff due at midnight and I didn't think I was going to to get it turned in by midnight but I bullshit my way through almost all of it. Hahaha welcome to college.**

**I'm honestly so blessed to have a few chapters written already (if you didn't already know, I wrote a good majority of this as a different story with a different OC but then I realized it would be perfect for the sequel for To This Day, so I just went through and edited the details). But I think after this chapter I have to start integrating writing new chapters into my week and I'm hashtag not prepared for that lmao.**

**I also made the Dance Team and I'm considered a D1 athlete now so get fucked!**

**Don't forget to read, review, favorite, like, and all that jazz. Love y'all!**

**This chapter has been edited for grammar, typos, and plot/timeline issues as of 7/20/2020**

**XXX**

The ten minute drive from Gotham Regional to Robin Blake's apartment hadn't seemed like ten minutes, much to Anslee's dismay, it went by faster. She stared up at the building before getting out, looking at the paper to check the apartment number. B12. She memorized it quickly before turning off the car and getting out. Anslee hadn't hesitated before she walked up to the building, pulling the front door open and entering. She looked around at a sign that pointed in the directions of the apartment. B was on the second level. Being that there was no elevator, she took the two small flights of stairs before being met with a hall of apartments on her left. This was floor B, "B12," she whispered to herself before walking down the hallway, seeing the pattern of apartments being intervals of two, alternating from the left and right sides of the hallway. She finally stopped walking when she spotted B12. She stood in front of the door.

John Blake was lying on his couch in normal comfy clothes that one would wear on a day off from the GCPD. An old graphic tee he'd had since his time at the academy and a pair of basketball shorts. He had the news on his television, making sure there were no new breakthroughs being reported with the case of what was going on down in the tunnels beneath Gotham. For it being his day off, he was still pretty wrapped up in his work. All seemed normal until a three intervaled knock sounded on his wood door. He was quick to sit up and look over at the door before getting up to answer it, "Coming." he called out before approaching the door, unlocking the deadbolt and then the lock on the door before then turning the knob. He swung the door open to reveal a brunette girl, about 5 feet 3 inches tall. But she also looked incredibly familiar.

'Wow,' he thought to himself as he studied her facial features, her body. She was gorgeous and oddly familiar, but he focused back up at her, hoping she hadn't noticed that he basically just checked her out, "Uh...hi, can I help you?" he asked her with a quirked eyebrow.

"Officer Robin Blake?" she asked, one of her eyebrows was quirked in an almost intimidating fashion. But that soft glow in her eyes that showed she wasn't all tough. Ans studied the cop, taking in his face. Why did this guy look so familiar to her? First it was the name and now it was the face.

"This is he, but call me John, no one calls me Robin," he responded, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe, giving her a small smile, "What can I do for you Ma'am?"

John Blake? That did it for her. The face from high school flooded back into her mind as well as the few conversations she'd ever had with the boy now turned man.

"Anslee Wayne," she spoke, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked back at him, "You spoke with my father, Bruce Wayne, a few days ago," she spoke a little more stern.

John's eyes widened a bit, realizing he had just checked out Bruce Wayne's daughter. The same Bruce Wayne's daughter that he went to high school with. The same girl he'd been head over heels for since Eighth grade. That was worse than confronting the man face to face like he had already done. No wonder she was familiar. But he wasn't about to back down to her, "I did, did he happen to mention about what?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"You mind if I come inside?" she asked, her lips twitching into a smile in return.

John thought for a few seconds before giving a little wider of a smile, "Of course, come inside," he moved from the doorway and gestured inside.

Anslee moved past him and into the surprisingly well put together place. She turned back to him, arms still draped across her chest.

"You know I remember where I've seen you before," he spoke moving past her, turning the volume of the news down a few notches, "We went to high school together before you left, same English class and American History." he spoke, taking a seat on the couch.

She sat in a chair across from him, "I knew I'd seen that name and face before...you took Jenni Gibbons to prom senior year," she smirked at the ground before offering him a soft smile. As if John didn't even need to hear that. He always remembered how he had wanted to ask her to senior prom, but pretty boy douche bag Nico Gargano had beat him to it. That, and the fact he's had a crush on her all four years of high school.

"So your father," he began.

"I just want to know why," she spoke, looking at him again with the eager and curious look in her eyes.

John was silent as he gathered what he wanted to say, picking through his words carefully inside his cranium so he couldn't say the wrong thing to upset her.

"Gotham needs Batman again, point blank" he spoke quietly, "Things are going in such a downward spiral that no one knows what's going on anymore. I know how much he was an asset when it came to taking down Scarecrow and The Joker. We need that type of expertise again on our side again otherwise this whole situation with the sewers could turn a lot uglier."

Ans shook her head and sighed as she stood up, strolling over to the window across from the chair with her arms over her chest. She didn't even want to know how Blake had found out nor did she really care in that moment. There was nothing she could do about it now.

"He doesn't owe this city anything," She spoke adamantly "The citizens condemned him after he took the fall-" but she cut herself off. Anslee had nearly forgotten that no one besides her and Jim knew that Batman had taken the heat for Harvey's actions on purpose. She thought about the words she wanted to speak before she continued.

"It kills me to see him risk his life for this godforsaken city, if it's even worth that much of a title anymore. The people in this city have done nothing but run Batman into the ground after everything he did for them," she looked over at John, "You don't know the half of it nor could you even begin to understand what happened and what went on behind the scenes. I can hardly fathom it, honestly. If only you saw the way it affects him physically and emotionally. It was the reason I left for so long. I couldn't take two months of him brooding and wallowing, I can't imagine what would have happened had I stayed and endured five years of it," she spoke, beginning to open up to him without even trying to in the first place.

John saw tears gathering in her eyes, "And now he's actually considering doing it. Going back out there to set himself up. I don't want to lose my father, officer, that's not why I came back. I didn't come back to watch him lose his mind all over again the way he did once before after _everything_."

John stayed quiet before standing up and placing a hand comfortingly on her shoulder. When she said everything, he knew she meant so much more than just what Batman had endured. Bruce Wayne went through some pretty heavy stuff too. So had she. It wasn't fair how her business was broadcasted for the world to see either, it was sure to affect the way she had coped with her loss. He felt true empathy towards the woman in front of him.

He thought for a second, about to say something before his attention was averted to the TV screen, breaking news had flashed across it.

STOCK EXCHANGE UNDER ATTACK, HOSTAGES HELD AT BAY ON MOTORCYCLES

At that point, Anslee's attention had turned to the screen as well. Her frown grew as she watched this chase unfold. It was unclear as to who was driving the motorcycles that contained the hostages, but there was at least one familiar figure on one of the bikes. Bane.

John and Anslee watched the TV screen in silence, both had looks of curiosity and concern etched on their faces. It wasn't until a few minutes later that another headline and image was shown on the screen. None other than the infamous Tumbler of the Batman drove the streets of Gotham, being followed by an array of cop cars and tracked by helicopters.

Anslee's eyes widened when she realized what was going on, "Damnit!" She exclaimed before turning from the living room, fidgeting for her car keys in her pocket as her hands visibly shook. John's eyes followed her and he turned to follow after her.

"Miss Wayne are you sure you can drive? I can give you a ride home," he insisted, watching her hands shake as she pulled out the keys.

"I'm fine, I need to get back to the manor," she spoke, opening the door and shutting it behind her as she hurried down the hall and down the stairs, running out the door and to the car.

John watched her leave the building in a frantic rush, watching as she got into the SUV before it hit him that she had somehow known where he lived. She had to have found or researched it somewhere, but he didn't think something as personal as his full name and complete address was just out on the normal world wide web.

He watched as she drove off and sped down the street. John continued his gaze before being snapped out of his thoughts by the ringing of his phone. The dark haired man turned and picked the device up from his coffee table, groaning upon seeing Officer Foley's caller ID. He quickly answered the call, placing the phone to his ear.

"This is Blake," he spoke. After a less than thirty second call, John had set his phone down and ran to his room to change into his uniform. Once in the get up, he secured his gun in his holster and grabbed his squad car keys before leaving the apartment as fast as he could. The chase was on.


	5. Get Back In The Game

**Guess who forgot she had a to post a chapter but then remembered and is still is technically on time? That's right it's me, your favorite stressed out, procrastinating college student. Anyways, here's the last of what I already had pre-typed so we're gonna see what if looks like with me trying to integrate writing a new chapter into my week before I post the next one.**

**I do have a busy week coming up, however, with midterms and I have like three performances for dance team plus a shit ton of homework. Please bear with me loves.**

**Read, Review, Favorite, and all that jazz. Love you guys!**

**This chapter was edited for grammar, typos, and plot/timeline issues as of 7/20/2020**

**XXX**

Anslee had sped the majority of the way back to the manor as best she could even with backed up traffic during the chase for the Batman. She had managed to get back to the manor in a little over an hour. She pulled up to the top of the arched driveway like the cab had the night before, shutting off her car and getting out. Ans ran up the manor steps and busted through the front door. She ran up the stairs towards her grandfather's study. Once entering she pressed the keys on the piano, making the secret passage to the elevator open. She quickly entered and pulled the lever so it would send her down under the manor. Once it hit the ground she opened the safety gate and stormed in, seeing Alfred looking at security footage from the presumably Bane at the Stock Exchange.

"Miss Wayne, I was wondering when you'd be returning," Alfred spoke as he turned to her, seeing she was fuming as she entered.

"What was he thinking?" she asked in a dumbfounded tone, looking around to see if Bruce had already made it back to the cave yet or not.

"I tried to tell him," Alfred spoke. He opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could, a roar began to build inside the cave. Both Ans and Alfred looked at the waterfall not far from them as it began to glow. Seconds later the newest piece of equipment added to the collection, nicknamed The Bat by Lucius Fox stormed from the waterfall with a crash, spraying Alfred and Ans with the water. The craft landed and out came Bruce as Alfred brushed water off his suit.

"Very inconspicuous. Shall I tell the neighbors you got yourself a new leaf blower?" Alfred asked with a snicker.

"We bought all the neighbors, Alfred," Bruce spoke, removing his cowl and cape, the older man taking them gingerly. Anslee death glared her father as he walked further in, "What the hell were you thinking?" she demanded.

"Glad to see you too, Ans," he frowned in her direction.

"Don't play that bullshit with me, you could have been killed out there tonight, that whole fiasco with the cop chase. Do you remember that from about an hour and a half ago? Bane or whoever got away because you drew them away!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't drive them away, the cops were more interested and concerned with the fact that I was there more than they were Bane," he groaned, pulling out a USB drive, "I retrieved this," he spoke, turning to Alfred.

"Shouldn't the police be gathering the evidence?" Alfred asked in a matter of fact tone.

"Exactly, you should've left it to the police," Ans added in.

"If it hadn't been for me going out there I wouldn't have gotten another lead on Daggett. Selina Kyle sold him my fingerprints for something that apparently didn't exist called the "Clean Slate". But it seemed he was very interested in what went down in the Stock Market today. And the police don't have the tools to analyze it, anyways." Bruce explained.

"They would if you gave it to them," Alfred chimed in.

"One man's tool is another man's weapon," Bruce turned to look at the two.

"In your mind," Anslee commented, "Perhaps. But there aren't many things you couldn't turn into a weapon."

"Enough, both of you. the police weren't getting it done-"

"Perhaps they would have if you hadn't made a sideshow of yourself," Alfred cut him off.

"Perhaps you're upset you were both wrong," Bruce turned to the computer screen that had finished loading whatever was on the USB.

"Wrong?" Anslee raised an eyebrow.

"You thought I didn't have it in me," Bruce kept his gaze at the screen,

"You don't. You lead a bloated police force on a merry chase with some fancy new toys from Fox. What about when you come up against him? What then?" Alfred asks in a serious tone. as he points to the monitor showcasing Bane killing people at the Stock Exchange on a loop.

"I'll fight harder, I always have." Bruce answered nonchalantly.

"When you had something to fight for. What are you fighting for now?" Anslee asked in a pleading tone as she approached her father, "Not your life," She spoke in a quiet tone as Bruce began to reach over to turn off the monitor with the security footage, but Ans reached over and grabbed his hand, "Look at him. Take a good long look at that man. At his speed. His training."

"I see the power of belief. Of the fanatic. I see the League of Shadows resurgent," Alfred finished.

Bruce looked over at Alfred, "You said he was excommunicated."

"By Ras Al Ghul, who led them." Alfred answered.

"Ras Al Ghul was the League of Shadows. And I beat it. Bane is just a mercenary, and we have to find out what he's up to," Bruce spoke as he took his hand from his daughter's and began to type a few keys before text began to scroll across the screen, he narrowed his eyes at the screen, "Trades of some kind. Coded," he spoke before the screen blanked and a thumb print appeared.

"Is that...?" Alfred asked in near disbelief.

"Mine, courtesy of Selina Kyle," Bruce sighed before pulling out the drive from the computer and turning to Alfred, holding it out to him, "Get this to Fox, he can crack the code and tell us what trades they were executing."

Alfred looked at Bruce before taking the USB and turning from him to head to the elevator.

Anslee had kept her arms crossed over her chest, "So this is what it feels like," she sighed before following after Alfred.

Upon making it back upstairs, Ans had changed out of her day clothes and made her way back down to the kitchen. The herbal scent from the kitchen could be smelled in the air again before she entered, seeing Alfred. She took a seat on her usual bar stool and sighed.

"I suspect your visit with Officer Blake was successful?" Alfred asked as he turned to her, solemn look still on his face.

"What makes you say that?" she quirked an eyebrow at the man.

"Officer Blake called the manor about ten minutes ago while you were up in your room, wanted to talk to you," Alfred gave her a smirk.

Anslee frowned and sighed again, "Not exactly how I had wanted things to go. I just wanted to find the man who told my dad it was a good idea to go back out there and just really give him a piece of my mind, but that idea crumbled as soon as I started talking. Like i wussed out at the last second and almost poured my heart out to him," she groaned.

"That was something you've had built up for five years, Miss Wayne, sometimes it's harder to stop the words you aren't particularly keen on from coming out when they've been bottled up for prolonged periods of time," Alfred spoke in a cool tone, "Then again you always had a soft spot for gentlemen with dark hair," He spoke, walking around the island and placing an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.

"Don't remind me," Anslee rolled her eyes, thinking back at that huge crush she had on that jerk Nico Gargano, who stood her up at prom, "I don't know why I almost told everything to a man I just met," she sighed.

"Perhaps it isn't such a bad thing you felt so comfortable to tell him those things, Miss Wayne," Alfred looked down at her defeated face, "Never be embarrassed or ashamed to let your emotions show, for you're only human."

Anslee let those words sink in before nodding, "I'm going to head to bed, Alfred. Thank you for those words," she looked up at the old man again with a small smile.

The man placed a kiss on her head before she stood up and walked towards the door out of the kitchen before Alfred's voice chimed in, "In my opinion, Miss Wayne, he was a very handsome gentleman," Alfred smiled at her.

Ans breathed a laugh out, "Yeah I guess so," she blushed slightly enough that Alfred could see before she turned to leave to head back up to her room for sleep.


	6. Little Talks

**This chapter was edited for grammar, typos, and plot/timeline issues as of 7/20/2020**

**XXX**

"You're really gonna do it?" Anslee stared back at Alfred as the two sat at a small table next to a window in the kitchen. They were sharing a quiet breakfast while Bruce was still in bed.

Granted it was about 9 am and Bruce seemed beat from the night before.

"I don't see what other option I have to get him to understand, Miss Wayne," Alfred looked back at the girl sadly.

Anslee looked down at her cup of coffee and sighed, "It's okay, Al, I understand…"

The two sat in silence once more, for neither of them could think of something to say to the other. But a question that burned in Anslee's mind for five years finally surfaced and if Alfred really was walking away from Wayne Manor, then now was the best time to ask if Alfred truly was considering leaving his position as Butler at Wayne Manor.

"Alfred…" she began, taking a breath before continuing, "The day that my mom and I left to go to the precinct after Harvey turned himself in...she gave you an envelope. I saw her hand it to you as I came back from my room in the penthouse...what did she give you?"

Alfred looked down at his own cup of tea with a look of guilt scribed on his aged face.

"Miss Wayne, I can only hope you won't be upset with me over what I am about to tell you, but in the sense, you have every right to be," he looked back up at her, "Your mother gave me a note that was meant for your father, and rudely, I had read it...the note said she chose Harvey Dent over your father and that she couldn't wait anymore."

Anslee frowned, "Why would I be upset with you over a note she wrote? That isn't your fault.."

"Except I never gave it to your father. I was close, but I took it back after I saw how torn he was over her death and over everything you had been through during that short span of time… I burned the letter so your father could never find it," the older man explained in a solemn tone.

The twenty-three year old that sat across from him leaned back in her chair. She wasn't upset with Alfred. Why would she be considering he was sparing the feelings of one of the only people he cared about on this Earth.

"Your heart was in the right place, Alfred, but I think my dad needs to know...I can tell he's still hung up over her, he's still got that look in his eyes."

"That look in his eyes only returned once he saw you," Alfred quickly retorted.

Anslee looked back at him and quirked a brow, wanting the man to elaborate further.

"He did mourn over the last five years, there probably wasn't a day that went by he didn't think about her. But you look like her, your mother, when she was your age. You two could have been twins. It hurts him to look at you because all he sees is Rachel Dawes."

Anslee reached forward to grab her cup so she could take another sip of her coffee, hoping she could hide the tears that had gathered in her eyes from the way Alfred spoke about her mother and her father's hurt. Once she took a sip, she set the cup down and sighed, her breath hot from her beverage. Ans stood up and wiped her eyes before Bruce walked into the kitchen, having obviously just woken up.

"Good morning," he groaned out as he reached for a mug on one of the shelves in the cupboard.

Neither Alfred nor Anslee said anything in return.

Bruce paused and looked over at the two, "Still mad at me for last night, huh?"

Ans took a short breath and looked back at Alfred, "Would you mind letting my dad and I have a word in private?"

"Of course not, Miss Wayne," Alfred stood up from his seat and headed for the nearest exit from the kitchen.

Anslee turned back to her father, who was now pouring himself a large cup of coffee. He filled the mug to the brim with pure black coffee, something he'd been drinking since Anslee was a kid. It always disgusted her and still did.

"I'm not mad at you," Anslee began, "And we're both adults now, so I'd like to have a civilized adult conversation with you if you're still up for that sort of thing."

Bruce eyed the girl, "Of course I am."

"What happened last night?" Anslee frowned back at him as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Bruce took a sip of his coffee before answering, "I chased down Bane after the stock exchange and led the police on a wild goose chase, you already knew that."

"After the police chase," she quickly corrected him.

"I came ho-"

"No, you didn't," she cut him off, "The tracker on The Bat, real original name by the way, says you went somewhere before you came here last night. Where did you go?"

The father took another nice and long sip of the steaming black liquid whilst the two had a stare off.

Once he had swallowed and dramatically lowered his coffee cup from his lips, he caved.

"I tracked down Selina Kyle...she was visiting Daggett again. When I found her she was on the rooftop of the building his penthouse is in and she was surrounded. Surrounded by Bane and his men."

"You had an encounter with Bane last night?" her frown deepened, "why would he have just randomly showed up at Daggett's?"

"I told you yesterday I knew that Bane was working with Daggett and his construction business," Bruce remindedher, "But obviously he was there for a reason last night, I think Daggett knows more about the Stock Market incident yesterday than he's admitting."

"You don't think it's like some sort of League of Shadows thing with Jonathan Crane and Ras Al Ghul, do you?" Anslee quirked a brow.

Bruce shook his head, "He was excommunicated, remember? I don't know what he was doing with Daggett, but I'm going to find out. What I also know is that Daggett is trying to take control of Wayne Enterprise, absorb it into his own company"

"Why?"

"Another thing I have yet to come to a conclusion on, Anslee Grace," Bruce spoke before taking another sip of his coffee.

The brunette looked back at her father and pursed her lips, "Alfred mentioned Batman visited Jim Gordon in the hospital. What went down with that?"

"He said the same thing John Blake said, the city needs Batman back," he admitted, knowing that's not what she wanted to hear at all. Before she could utter a word to fight back with him, Bruce picked up his coffee cup and stalked out of the kitchen.

Ans took a seat back in the chair she sat in before and groaned as she sulked. The brunette reached out to grab her coffee cup so she could take a drink of the medium brown colored liquid.

**XXX**

Anslee had been up in her room again, looking through her police file archives along with security footage from the stock exchange incident from the night before. Currently, she had an enlarged picture of Bane on her screen, The brunette stared back at the image of the large man as she tried to figure him out. But as much of a facade he was, she found it difficult. Anslee narrowed her eyes at the picture of the bulky man as she tried to analyze the mask he wore on his face to get some kind of lead on where he might have gotten it. Or even perhaps what its function was. The mask seemed like it was attached to his face.

In her immense state of focus, Anslee jumped when she heard her cell phone ring next to her. The girl groaned as she looked down at her caller ID. It was an unknown number..that was odd. Nonetheless, she picked up the device and hit answer before putting the phone to her ear.

"Anslee Wayne?" A male voice spoke.

"This is she, but if you're calling me to sell some bogus insurance discount or tell me I owe the IRS ten million dollars, I'm not interested and take me off your call list," she spoke in an attitude ridden tone.

She heard a chuckle from the other line, "Actually, it's John Blake. I don't know if you remember me from your fit of rage yesterday."

Anslee frowned, "Yeah, I remember you, how did you get my cell number?"

"I called again earlier asking to speak with you, but Alfred, I believe his name was, told me you were busy and gave me your personal number instead. He told me I'd have a better chance of getting ahold of you here," the man explained.

Ans mentally reminded herself to personally thank Alfred for this one later, "Yeah, he told me you called last night and I hadn't gotten the chance to return your call, is there something you wanted to speak with me about, Officer?"

"Yes, actually, but I'd rather speak in person if that's okay with you," he spoke back into the phone, "Can you meet me at the GCPD at noon?"

Anslee glanced at her clock seeing it was 10:30 AM at this point, "Yes, I can meet you then."

"I'll see you then, Miss Wayne," he confirmed.

"See you then, goodbye, Officer," Anslee replied before taking the phone away from her ear and hanging up.

She sat back in her desk chair and pursed her lips with a slight smile. What was Alfred playing at? Last time she checked, he wasn't getting paid to play matchmaker. Then again, she supposed that the man needed a little humor in his life after the last few years he's had.

**XXX**

Anslee paced outside the GCPD front steps as she eyed the cops that walked past her and into the precinct. Many of them she recognized as the same ones from five years ago when her and Rachel had shown up thinking it would be a good safe haven until Joker had at least been apprehended. She still wondered which ones were crooked and which ones she could trust.

One of the squad cars pulled up to the front of the precinct and a window rolled down. Anslee stopped pacing and looked at the car.

A face peaked out the passenger side window at her, it was Blake.

"Need a ride?" he smirked playfully.

Anslee paced towards the car with an equal smirk on her face, "I thought I wasn't supposed to get into cars with strange men."

Blake looked around at the inside of the car and then back at her, "You realize this is a cop car right?"

"You obviously don't know what happened to me the last time I willingly got in a cop car, Officer," Anslee reached down to open the car door and get in.

As she settled and put on her seatbelt, Blake spoke again, "It's actually Detective now."

Ans looked over at him, "Detective hm?"

"Gordon promoted me this morning," he nodded as he began to drive away from the precinct.

"Congrats," Anslee looked over at him, "Mind telling me where we're headed?"

John looked back at her for a second, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hand you over to some psychopath serial killer, I'm on your side here," he assured her, "You'll see when we get there."

Anslee gave the dark haired man an amused smile.


	7. Update and Continuation (AN)

Hey loves! So I know it has been nearly a year since I updated this book, but at this point I go MIA all the time for prolonged periods of time. Starting college just got in the way and life got busy and stressful, especially amidst this whole pandemic we are currently going through. It's absolutely crazy and life has never been so out of the normal. But, I have randomly gained back muse to continue this story because I have seen a lot of your reviews that have either been A) asking me for an update and also B) about the future of this story and what is to come of our protagonist, Anslee.

Well I do have good news! You guys will be getting an update to this story if you have been following it closely, but I have decided that I will be going back and editing the prequel to this book "To This Day" in its entirety to ensure accurateness to the plot in the AU that it is all set in along with the timeline of TDK. I have gone back and seen some typos as well as timeline and plot stuff that doesn't make sense/isn't stuck to later in the story that I as an author want fixed before I can go on with this story (that will also probably be edited as well, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there). I always want to make sure that you guys are getting the best reading experience and this is the only plausible way I feel I can go about that.

So don't fret, you guys will be getting your update hopefully sooner than later. I just wanted to keep you guys informed on what was going on. Once again, thank you all for being so amazing and I look forward to getting back into these stories. Love you all!


	8. Skyline

**As promised, here is the continuation of this story! I know it came a little later than I would have liked but I had some thing to take care of in my personal life before I decided to hop back on here and start writing this story again. I think I'm going to TRY to get on a consistent schedule of uploading chapters that way you guys know/and can look forward to updates if you have chosen to follow along on this adventure.**

**I believe I will start posting on Fridays because of my lack of class that day as well as (hopefully) a lack of homework to be done on that day! But things could change and it just depends on how I start to get back into the flow of things!**

**XXX**

Anslee looked out the window for the majority of the car ride. She noted how the skies looked more gloomy and gray than normal. While she had hoped this city would look up while she was gone, it seemed like it did the exact opposite. It was sad to see somewhere you've spent your entire life living in go down the drain. It was depressing and not really helping her current mood with everything going through her head at the moment.

John would look over at her every once in a while to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable. He knew what she went through the last time she was with a cop she barely knew at the mere age of 17. She'd been tied up in a warehouse and nearly blown up. She lost her own mother that night. He could understand her apprehensiveness because even he still wasn't sure who all he could trust in his line of work. All he could do was hopefully get her to trust him.

John drove over the southern bridge over the glimmering waters of Gotham Bay. Despite the overcast, the water still shone a silver color reflecting the gray colored clouded skies. The large steel beams of the bridge had rusted over the years, showing their age and the neglect the city had on them. Anslee was surprised that the bridges had been able to sustain themselves after the years of no maintenance.

She almost hadn't noticed that the car had come to a stop had John not opened her door for her. Anslee looked up at the man before undoing her seatbelt and exiting the car. The two of them now stood at the end of the bridge just off the main road where he pulled over. A path led towards a little walkway along the side of the bridge where people could stroll or run. John nodded for her to follow him to the sidewalk pathway. After a minute or two of walking in silence besides the whistling of the wind as it blew past their bodies, John stopped and leaned forward against the railing overlooking the bay. Anslee followed suit and turned her head to look at the skyline of the city.

"I pulled Gordon out of the sewers that day," John finally broke the silence between the two, looking over at Anslee while she still gazed at the skyline.

She was silent for a few seconds, her eyes still trained on the skyline as she spoke, "He didn't tell me that."

"He chased a gunman into the sewers and when I pulled him out he was babbling about some underground army...a masked man named Bane."

Anslee's eyes immediately flew to John when he spoke the name of the excommunicated mercenary, a quizzical look etched in her facial features. John locked eyes with her, obviously getting a sense that she knew something of the facade that was Bane from her father.

"When I notified my superiors they asked me if he saw any giant alligators," he chuckled slightly, "But if there's one thing I know, Gordon needs The Batman."

"I know," Anslee bowed her head, gazing to the murky waters below them, "Gordon told him the same thing, but Gordon doesn't-"

"He doesn't know and he doesn't care to," John cut her off.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the water before she spoke again, "How do you know?"

"I'd known before all this catastrophe struck...it was a long time ago. I was a kid, Saint Swithens, the orphanage I was put in used to be funded by the Wayne Foundation. My mom died when I was small, a car accident, I really don't remember it much, and my dad got shot a couple of years later from a gambling debt. I remember that one just fine."

Anslee looked back to John, sympathy laced in her tone, "I'm sorry John.."

"Don't be," the man shook his head, "But I know what your old man felt when he lost his parents too. It's not something many people have to experience. The anger that you feel in your bones. And foster parents understood it for a while, but then they want the angry little kid to do something he knows he can't do. Move on. And soon they stop understanding. They send the angry little kid to a boys home."

"I figured it out too late. You gotta learn to hide the anger...practice smiling in the mirror. It's like putting on a mask."

Anslee knew the feeling all too well that he described. It was the same process she had to go through after losing Rachel and essentially her father to his own self loathing. For a bit she felt like an orphan due to the absence of both her parents in her life and living everyday like it wasn't constantly on her mind and putting her through pain wasn't an easy task.

"You dad showed up one day, cool car, pretty girl on his arm, and we were so excited," the man chuckled again, making Anslee look at him. John's demeanor had almost completely changed as if the memory brought him a sense of pure joy; he almost looked like a kid in a candy store.

"Bruce Wayne, Billionaire Orphan. We used to make up stories about your old man. Legends. And you know, to the other kids that's all it was, just stories," his smile dropped slowly, "But right when I saw him I knew who he was. I'd seen that look on his face before. It was the same one I taught myself."

"So you finally decided to confront him once all of this Bane business started going down by threatening to issue a warrant to investigate Harvey Dent's murder unless he agreed to see you," Anslee gave him a questionable look.

"Your dad's a very hard man to get into contact with, I had to pull a string or two otherwise I wouldn't have gotten this far," John looked apologetically towards her.

Anslee smirked, "Gordon would have done the same thing."

"So everyone seems to be on board with this idea of getting the Batman back except you," John watched her carefully.

"I wouldn't say everyone, you and your buddies down at the precinct seemed pretty hellbent on chasing him down last night instead of keeping eyes on Bane and his men."

"Believe me, I was rooting for him the whole time under my breath. Foley was the one leading the battalion on that one. You should have seen the look on his face when Batman pulled out that big hovercraft thing," John laughed.

"The Bat," Anslee corrected him, "he named it The Bat."

John chuckled once more before turning his eyes to the skyline of the city clouded by a light fog, "Well, this city needs The Bat."

"I swear, the best thing that could happen to this city would be immediate evacuation followed by a fire of a massive scale. Melt it all down. Consume the ruins. Then put the ashes of those evaporated dreams into a big urn and sit the urn on the desks of a few thousand oily politicians. Let them smell the disaster like we do," Anslee glared at the city before her.

"But you agree that this place needs saving? That people's eyes need to be opened to what's really going on before it's too late? That we need a steady and capable line of defense otherwise this place might just end up in flames?" John looked back to her.

Anslee took a deep breath, sighing before looking back at John as well, "I do agree..and as much as I hate to say it, we do need Batman back. I just still can't wrap my head around how the cost justifies the need, or what the cost will even be in the end. What will Batman lose? What might I lose?"

John looked at her melancholy face, pursing his lips slightly before speaking, "I promise, I will do everything in my power to keep the cost of the fight low for all of us. I just need your help and I need you to trust me, Anslee. I'm still a believer in The Batman, even if you're not."

Anslee stared back at him for a split second and slowly began to nod, "I'll do as much as I can...for now, what I know I can tell you is that we have reasonable suspicion that John Dagget might be working closely with Bane. Him and his men were a part of a plan in West Africa that secured mining operations for Dagget. It seems as if he brought them here to Gotham, but we really don't have any proof of them working together."

John's smile slowly returned to his face, "Thank you, Anslee."

The twenty-three year old smiled softly in return, "Why did the Wayne Foundation stop funding the Boys' Home?" she wandered out loud.

John shrugged, "We don't know..one day the money just stopped. Seems like your dad might want to get some fresh air and pay attention to those details. Sometimes those details might need his help."

Anslee playfully nudged the man, "I'll talk to my old man when I get home and see what I can do for you and the Saint Swithens. I know you must still care about that place a lot."

"I do, and I appreciate that," John smiled, "What do you say we grab a mediocre cup of coffee and I'll take you back to the precinct so you can head home?"

"Only if you let me buy," Anslee smirked before she gave the outline of the city one last glance and turned to walk back off the concrete sidewalk towards where John had parked the patrol car.

The man watched her move with such confidence and swagger as if she hadn't just had a difficult conversation. He knew he was throwing a lot at her at once and she was taking it like a champ. Not much had changed since high school, especially not the fact that he was still head over heels in love with her, yet she had not the slightest clue.

John followed after her, a smile etched on his face.


	9. Pointing Fingers

**Hi this is your admin, big dumb dumb. I know I was supposed to upload yesterday, but I ended up going home for the day to see my family and grab some stuff to bring back to my apartment. I didn't even realize I missed upload until I was at my other friend;s apartment last night and nowhere near my laptop so I could upload it really quick.**

**I also realize I do a lot of stuff out of order of the DKR movie, but I need stuff to happen a certain way so I can line it up the way I have it planned. I hope you guys aren't bothered by that. But please enjoy this next installment and I'll see you guys on Friday (hopefully) next week!**

**XXX**

Anslee had arrived back to the manor in the late afternoon, she'd used her keys to unlock the front door and stepped inside. However, she could already hear voices coming from just outside the foyer. They sounded like her father and Alfred. Curious, Ans slipped off her shoes and headed to where she heard the voice, just below the grand staircase.

"You see only one end to your journey," Alfred's voice spoke, "Leaving is all I have to make you understand."

This just had to be the moment that Anslee arrived home. She knew it was going to be inevitable that Alfred would announce to her father that he had decided to step down from his position at the manor in order to get Bruce to perhaps change his mind. She just wished she wasn't going to have to be there to witness it knowing Bruce would not have handled it well at all.

"You're not Batman anymore. You have to find another way. You used to talk about finishing it. About a life beyond that awful cave. Getting back what you lost after all those years you were gone."

"Alfred, Rachel died knowing that we had decided to be together, I could be there for Anslee finally, they could both have had the lives they only ever always deserved. That was my life beyond the cave...I can't just move on. She didn't. She couldn't." Bruce's voice responded, though it was low and somber. Much less firm and pronounced like Alfred's.

Anslee looked to the ground hearing her father say that. She held her breath, bracing herself for what was to come, knowing all too well what Alfred was about to reveal to her father.

Alfred was silent as well, Anslee could almost picture the look he was giving Bruce.

"What if she had? What if she wasn't intending to make a life with you?"

Bruce immediately retorted, "She was, I can't change that-"

"What if before she died, she wrote a letter? Explaining that she'd chosen Harvey Dent over you?"

There was another silence before the older man continued, "And what if, to spare you pain...I'd burned that letter?"

"How dare you use Rachel.." Bruce spoke in a grave tone, "To try to stop me."

"I am using the truth, Master Wayne. And maybe it's time we all stop trying to outsmart the truth and let it have its day," Alfred stated, his voice obviously becoming more choked up as he talked, "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? You expect to destroy my world, then shake hands?"

"No..I know what this means," Alfred almost muttered.

"What does it mean?"

"It means your hatred," the older man's voice cracked, "And it also means losing someone that I have cared for since I first heard his cries echo through this house. But it might also mean saving your life. And that's more important."

Anslee's own eyes had filled with tears just hearing the two exchange such bitter conversation, she could hear the anger in Bruce's voice and the heartbreak in Alfred's. She couldn't help but sympathize with Alfred and feel his pain, it was all too much.

The silence was deafening after Alfred's statement, but the tension in the air was high and left the situation less than resolved.

"Goodbye, Alfred," Bruce muttered before his footsteps could be heard bounting up the stairs.

Anslee reached up and wiped her eyes with her jacket sleeve, sniffling from holding back small sobs and tears themselves. After a second she stepped out from behind the corner she was standing behind while listening to the two men talking. Her eyes landed on a misty-eyed Alfred and immediately she walked towards him with her arms outstretched.

The man took the girl into an embrace, but the one to let the water works start was Anslee. As soon as her head hit his chest, tears free flowed down her cheeks, cascading one after the other in a seemingly never ending flow as they soaked the front of the man's sweater vest.

"I'm so sorry, Alfred," she muttered, holding onto the man who had always been like family to her.

"There's no need to be, Miss Wayne," he replied, his voice still choked, "He's got every right to be upset with me."

"But he doesn't," Anslee pulled away slightly and looked up at him, "My dad has held on for too long..he's too clouded by his own self-pity to see that what you did benefitted him more than he knows. I just wish that meant you didn't have to leave."

"It's better that way," Alfred smiled weakly down at her.

"I know," Anslee spoke sadly, laying her head down back onto his chest, savoring this last embrace she might ever get with one of the last family members she had left.

XXX

Anslee had finally let Alfred go so he could go and begin to gather his things before leaving off to wherever he planned to go. She figured he wanted to keep it pretty under the radar for the time being, but he assured her that he would keep in contact with her.

The woman had climbed the stairs and headed to where she knew she would find Bruce while he was in a state of being distraught. Thomas Wayne's study seemed to be his favorite brooding area in the manor.

Once outside the large dark oak wood doors, Anslee knocked three times before reaching for the handle and pushing the door open. Gloomy light illuminated the room from the windows with half drawn sheer curtains. Sitting at the desk with his hand on his chin was Bruce. He looked to be upset yet deep in thought, but when he heard the door open, his eyes averted to his daughter in the doorway.

"Did Alfred send you in here to berate me too?" He asked bitterly.

"I didn't come in here to talk about that, and I won't talk about that. I'm not gonna be your happy medium in this, so don't drag me into it," Anslee replied, the same bitterness in her tone, "If you're only interested in wallowing then I'll leave."

Bruce observed his daughter, noted how headstrong and serious she was about the words she spoke. His heart ached at the constant reminder of how much like Rachel she was.

"No," he shook his head, "Did you find anything else out that might be helpful?"

Anslee walked in and took a seat across from her father, "No...Detective Blake and I really didn't discuss anything like that. I told him what I knew, but that' the extent of it."

Bruce raised an eyebrow at the girl, but shook it off, "I'm still looking into Daggett . He was trying to acquire shares in Wayne Enterprise without many people knowing, but I still retain a clear majority so it wouldn't do him any good."

"Why would he want shares when Wayne Enterprise is losing money?" Anslee questioned.

Bruce flashed her a look, "Someone's been hacking into the Wayne Enterprise systems again."

Anslee rolled her eyes, "It gets a little boring around here at night, but I'm not wrong. When you funnel the entire R and D budget for five years into a project that you then mothball, your company is unlikely to thrive. Even with a wildly sophisticated CEO like yourself. Your company is running out of time and Daggett is moving in. The hit on the stock exchange is proof of that and likely only the beginning."

"I don't have many options, Anslee," Bruce sighed.

"What about the machine? The one in the R and D bunker, the one Miranda Tate is always emailing your people about? And why is she apparently playing a big role in all of this?"

"I can't do that. And she made a large investment in the clean energy project, but the investment just didn't pay off," he glanced to the window, his chair swiveling to the side a bit.

Anslee snickered, "So you used a project failure as an excuse as to why you disappeared off the face of the Earth after everything that happened five years ago."

"I thought you said you weren't coming in here to talk about that," Bruce glanced back at her, quirking a brow again.

"What about Selina Kyle?" Anslee quickly changed the subject.

He sighed once more, "She was looking for a program called 'The Clean Slate'. It was the ultimate tool for someone with a record like her. You type in a name and date of birth and within a couple hours that person ceases to exist in any database. Ryka Data took it to the prototype stage and Daggett bought them."

"Is it real though? Is that the thing Selina wanted from him last night when you found her? He said it didn't exist."

Bruce just gave her a look and sat back in his chair, "Fox should be getting back to me about the coded trades here soon. I'll keep you updated."

Anslee stood up from her chair and nodded, "Good talk.." she looked down at him for a few seconds and pursed her lips. She turned to leave the office, but stopped at the door, glancing back at her father one last time. She wanted to say something to him about Alfred, but it seemed too soon to say anything. However, another thought struck her mind that she wanted to pick Bruce's brain about.

"The Wayne Foundation used to fund a boys home in the city, Saint Swithens.." she began, making Bruce look back at her.

One of his eyebrows raised in response to the statement, "I thought I heard Alfred say something about you going to see Officer Blake."

"Detective Blake," Anslee corrected him, "Why did they stop funding it?"

Bruce scoffed, "You said it yourself. My company isn't thriving. The Foundation is funded from the profits of Wayne Enterprises. There have to be some."

Anslee merely hummed in response to his question before turning back to the door and wrapping her hand around the cold metal handle. She pulled the door open and walked out to head back to her own room.


	10. Consumption

**Hi loves! It's your girl Missing In Action. I know I said I was gonna try to get on a consistent schedule and upload on Fridays but I have had a very stressful three weeks that have not allowed for me to get a consistent writing/posting schedule. I promise I have not abandoned this story and I have mapped out where I want it to go and everything, so do not fret. But here is a long chapter for you guys to hold you off until hopefully I can get on a consistent posting schedule. As always, thank you so much for sticking around and reading. You guys are awesome!**

**XXX**

Anslee sat down on her bed. Today just seemed to be emotional rollercoaster after emotional rollercoaster. She didn't think that everything would come crashing down once she landed back in Gotham, but it seemed like everything that could go wrong waited to go wrong until she got back. She didn't even expect Wayne Enterprises to go under, but she shouldn't have been surprised considering Bruce's emotions proved to be destructive in the past.

She sighed as she collapsed on her back, but as soon as her head hit the mattress, her phone began to buzz. Without looking at the screen for the caller ID, Ans blindly hit the answer button and put the device to her ear.

"This is Anslee," she muttered into the phone.

"It's John, I know I just dropped you back off at the precinct not that long ago, but I got to thinking and I could really use your help," John spoke through the phone, by the sound of the background he was driving again.

"What's going on?" Anslee sat up once more.

"I have about five hundred pages worth of tunnel records and getting through them has proven to be a challenge. I could really use another trained eye in helping me if you're willing. I'll even pay for something for dinner."

Anslee thought about it for a few seconds. There really weren't any cons to helping him, John made it evident they were on the same side and were working towards the same goal. That, and she didn't have anything to do but sit in the manor and go over the same files she'd been scanning

"Yeah I can help you out, do you want me to meet you at the precinct?" Anslee stood up and walked to where she had discarded her shoes by the door.

"Meet me at my apartment, I'll meet you there with pizza if that works for you."

She began to slip on her shoes and grabbed her purse that was hanging on the doorknob of her door, "I'll see you there, I like pepperoni."

John could almost see the smirk on her face, "I'll see you there."

Anslee hung up the phone and she smiled to herself. It was weird to think that just a few days ago Anslee was ready to rip this guy's head off and now she was heading over to his apartment to help him in his detective work. But in all honesty, this peaked her interest from the beginning and she wasn't one to pursue something unless she really had her heart set on something.

XXX

A three intervalled knock sounded against the metal door of John Blake's apartment. Anslee stood outside of the home in a pair of comfy clothes knowing that going through tunnel records would take the two of them a few hours, and sitting there in jeans and a nice top probably wasn't the best option.

She could hear from the opposite side of the door a few footsteps and then the clicking of a deadbolt being unlocked before the front door stood open. Before her was John still in his uniform he'd been in when they were together previously in the day. He probably had just gotten home himself a few minutes before she arrived.

"Just in the knick of time, I walked in the door about five minutes ago," John smiled down at the woman, moving out of the way of the walkway so she could enter.

Anslee maneuvered into the familiar place, "I figured, you still have your uniform and your shoes on," she commented as she entered the living room.

Already, there were papers, files, and maps scattered all over the man's coffee table and even a few on the floor here and there. John's eyes followed the woman as she walked in. The smile still played on his lips as he chuckled.

"Quite observant, huh?" He asked her, shutting the front door and locking it.

"Force of habit," she shrugged, glancing back at him.

John smirked, walking towards the kitchen table positioned behind his couch. A large pizza sat on the table, the smell wafting from the box the delicacy was encased in.

"I got Aurelio's, I hope you're a fan. I know the school back in the days was always divided on which pizza joint was better, Georgiano's or-"

"Or Aurelio's," Anslee chuckled, "Yeah, I remember. I liked Aurelio's way better. My mom used to order from that place all through my childhood. It's even the place that Nico Gargano asked me to prom senior year," she sighed.

John pursed his lips, "Still a sour subject?"

She shrugged, "I looked him up recently and apparently he's GM at a car dealership in Central City. Kinda funny considering he always talked about how he was gonna be the most unbeatable lawyer the world has ever seen."

"Guess Law School didn't work in his favor. He was always more brawn over brains," John chuckled in return.

Anslee turned her head from the coffee table in the living room to John, flashing him a playful smile, "What do you say we start to dig into these records?"

"Sure," he nodded, "I'm gonna go change out of the uniform really quick. Feel free to go ahead and start eating, make yourself comfortable in the living room. I've got paper plates in the cabinet above the sink," he gestured into the kitchen.

As John began to walk back towards what she assumed was his bedroom, Anslee retrieved a paper plate as well as a slice of pizza before she settled at a spot on the floor in front of the coffee table. She took a bite of her slice of pepperoni pizza, her mouth watering at the stimulation of her taste buds. Anslee's eyes scanned over what was visible in front of her. John seemed to start some pretty good work so far and looked like he had some things marked on the maps with circles and X's. She chewed her bite slowly while she decoded the patterns he marked.

Footsteps entered the kitchen, then the closing of a cabinet door and shuffling of a pizza box from the dining room table signified John had gotten his own slice of pizza. He'd joined her in the living room, taking a seat perpendicular to her at the coffee table.

"So, I've managed to get a hold of records from John Daggett's company on jobs they've been carrying out over the past few months. His people have been working endlessly in different locations, mostly in the tunnels underneath Gotham, a few here and there on the different bridge entrances over the bay," he explained to her.

"So what you're trying to put together is?" Anslee glanced at him.

John looked back at her, locking his eyes into her own green ones for a split second, "A connection of projects. Linking those projects with certain dates in a time frame to determine if they fit the criteria of what we're looking for."

"And how did you know I'd be a good fit as someone to help you?" Anslee raised an eyebrow at the man.

"Gordon may or may not have accidentally let it slip the last time I went to see him that you studied for this line of work at Met U," John smiled at her.

Anslee snickered, "That was no accident, believe me. Jim has intention with everything he does."

John laughed at her statement. Of course he did, honestly that man was brilliant in almost everything he did. He probably saw the glimmer in the young detective's eyes when Jim talked about Anslee being back in town and coming to visit him. It was that glimmer that gave Jim the confidence to trust Anslee's life in John's hands. It was clear that Jim saw something in her that was important enough for her to be protected. However, John chose not to question it and followed through with Gordon's request. But he wouldn't tell her that.

XXX

A good three hours had passed before Anslee sat down another file and leaned against an armchair in John's living room out of exhaustion. Her brain was fried from all the ends she tied together concerning dates and locations of projects that had taken place. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she ran a hand through her hair.

John looked up from the file he was currently examining, a chuckle emanating from his throat at the girl's actions. "Yeah, I feel you on that, what do you say we take a little break?"

Anslee sat back up straight, looking at John with a lazy smile, "Much obliged," she chuckled back, "I think we've got a few good leads going, managed to get through a good chunk of those files."

"Thank you again, by the way, I can't even imagine how long that would have taken without you here to help me," He smiled back at her, "I've had a lot on my plate with all of this. Gordon promoting me, Foley hasn't been much help, plus Saint Swithens."

Anslee's smile slowly faded at the mention of the boy's home, she knew it was probably touchy for him. "I'm sorry about that...I asked my dad about it earlier. If he hadn't neglected his company then they wouldn't be in the place they are…"

John shook his head, "It's not his fault. They've struggled with funding for years. They had to start aging out boys at sixteen instead of eighteen because of the budgets. The tunnels have taken all the aged out ones. I coach ball there sometimes, and I had to pull a boy I knew well out of those sewer drains. Breaking it to his little brother was hard."

"Oh my gosh…" Anslee frowned sympathetically, "That must have been incredibly difficult for the both of you. I imagine you see those boys like little brothers."

He shrugged, "I've watched a lot of those boys grow up...his name was Jimmy, only eighteen years old."

"Eighteen?" Anslee sat up a little straighter, "He was fresh out of the home then I assume?"

John shook his head, "No..they started aging the boys out at sixteen since funding has been running low. I just don't want to see what happened to him happen to any of the other boys there. Although loss now just makes me feel more numb than anything."

"You mentioned your parents...I used to wonder what happened that orphaned you but obviously we were never close enough for me to feel comfortable asking. But earlier you just completely let loose and told me what happened. I want to say it's something that never gets easier to talk about, but you don't seem that way," Anslee tilted her head slightly.

"I've told that story countless times at this point. I just had to learn to accept it even if it hurt me. It's the way it is, you know?" He looked over to her.

"The drip finally stops," Anslee muttered, "But I know the feeling. For a while it shattered me to talk about what happened senior year. But coming to terms with it was something I had to do in order to finally move on."

"I'm still sorry about what happened to your mom and Harvey Dent. I truly felt for you and I wish there was something I could've done to help you, I just never knew how to approach and talk to you. There were so many times I wanted to, but I just couldn't. I wanted to let you know that you weren't alone and that I understood what you were going through. I wanted to be there as a shoulder for you to cry on if you needed it. Hell I can't believe I'm actually going to tell you this, but I was head over heels for you."

Anslee eyed the man, her face blank but her hands and feet were growing tingly. Her cheeks felt hot for she already knew she must have been blushing like an idiot in front of him.

"And I want you to know that you still aren't alone. I'm fighting for the same thing you are and I want to be by your side as you do it."

The silence in the room was eerily loud as they stared at each other. It felt like an eternity that their eyes gazed into the other, trying to read what the other was feeling or how they took in the information.

"John…" Anslee muttered.

He scooted closer to her, his gaze never leaving hers as he did so. His hand, though worn from years at the academy and in the field, placed itself onto her cheek gently as he leaned in closer to her.

"Please let me help you," John whispered back to her.

Anslee was frozen for a split second, but nodded in response. John let go of the breath he had been holding in anticipation for Anslee's response to the information she now knew. But her reaction and her actions themselves had proven he didn't need to be scared and run from his feelings anymore. He could be real and upfront with her, that's all the closure he needed in that specific moment.

"Can I-"

"Yeah," Anslee smiled, chuckling a bit at the gesture, but deep down she appreciated it.

John leaned in, tilting his head at a slight angle as Anslee did the same the opposite way. It only took a second for their lips to connect to the others in a sweet kiss. One that John had been yearning for since they were teenagers. It was short lived, but after a few seconds they pulled away from each other and stared into each other's eyes again.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that," John laughed.

"Yeah?" Anslee smiled.

"Yeah," John nodded.


End file.
